Masquerade
by zealand24
Summary: Both Henry and Catherine attend a masked ball intending to forget one another, how does it play out?
1. Chapter 1

So this was a one-shot idea that had been bouncing around my head for a while now, and as I typed it just kept growing. Hopefully you all like it. Please enjoy!

Henry was lived at Catherine. How dare she question him, in front of his own court! How was he to manage a country if he couldn't even keep his wife under control? It all started with her disagreeing on how he was handling the war in Italy. She had actually questioned his actions aloud. Obviously Henry reacted to her doubts, and once one reacted to the other, tempers flared quickly.

He felt the eyes of court on him after Catherine's outburst, they all waited to see how he would react to Catherine's abrupt departure. Right now he would show indifference, not let the court know how much he hated fighting with his wife. It also didn't help that every fight he had with her left him wanting her. They hadn't had marital relations for quite some time, and despite his mistresses and affairs, Henry still found himself frustrated.

This time he found himself staring at her mouth while they argued. Her perfect mouth that he knew would taste like the red wine she'd had earlier. Lord knew how her mouth drove him crazy with the never ending arguments that came sputtering out of it, but it also drove him wild knowing how that mouth would feel upon his own.

As Henry watched her stomp away, he resolutely decided that tonight he would get rid of this want of Catherine once and for all. Tonight there was to be a masquerade ball in for the Venetian dignitaries' arrival in honor for their help during the Italian wars. He would even eschew some of his roles as host, allowing for Francis to really take a more important role in hosting a party. Once he could escape his role as king he would be allowed to mingle amongst his Italian guests, and by extension Italian women. Yes, tonight Henry would woo an Italian woman in order to fill his want of his Italian wife.

With the way things were between the two of them Catherine would never consent to willingly enter Henry's bed, so instead tonight he would attempt to find someone that could fill that void.

Catherine was fuming. Henry never listened to her. All she had done was tried to point out a few problems with his proposed alliance, and instead he lashed out at her. Damn his male pride! She was really only looking out for the interests of France.

She knew she just made herself look like a fool in front of all of the court, but she couldn't allow Venice to get the better deal out of the alliance. Then as they argued she could feel the tensions building within her. She didn't know if she wanted to punch Henry or draw him closer and pull him to her. Why was Henry such an enigma?

It wasn't fair that Henry was allowed to seek pleasures elsewhere. Often after their fights Catherine would find herself wanting Henry in the worst way. Probably some effects of the terribly blurry line between love and hate she pondered. But still, Henry was allowed to find release, even encouraged, while she on the other hand would lose everything even by just a whisper of infidelity.

That was why tonight would be the only night Catherine could find some release. The Venetian party that was arriving was quite large, she would easily be able to blend in, especially at the party, and since it was a masked ball (one of her more brilliant ideas) she would be able to conceal her identity.

She wasn't especially keen on the idea of being unfaithful but she had needs, ones that her husband clearly did not want to tend to. Plus it wasn't like she was going to start an affair, just have one night of lust. Yes, tonight Catherine was going to find a lover, one that would give her new memories to cheer her up when her husband would let her down.

Henry threw open the doors to his chamber and quickly dismissed everyone. He wanted to go over his costume for the night and no one else could see it, otherwise his secret identity for tonight would be revealed. He'd only trusted one valet to commission his second mask, and it was perfect. He'd been planning this ever since it was announced that there was to be a masked ball. Catherine had been creeping more and more into his thoughts as of late, driving Henry quite insane with want, a want he really needed to quench, thoughts of her were beginning to interfere with work.

His second identity would just be a normal courtier. There would be several other men just as similar, he'd blend right in! No one would look twice at his disguise. Everyone would probably overlook him, which was perfect for a king who wanted to hide. His mask would come down to cover his cheek bones but still allow for him to have easy conversation. He'd wear a hat, one with a red feather sticking out from the side with modest beading, playing into the regular courtier look.

Henry chuckled to himself. He was so pleased with the way things were turning out (besides the regrettable fight with Catherine, but that just seemed to be his marriage nowadays). Tonight though he wouldn't be lusting over a woman that hated the very air he breathed, and just as importantly he thought, one that wouldn't want something from him knowing he was king, like most of the other women.

A knock at the door pulled him from his revelry. Henry quickly shut the doors to his wardrobe and called for the unknown person to appear. A servant appeared in his door way with the message that Catherine would not be attending tonight's festivities due to a headache.

Henry felt himself deflate a little. It was not surprising, her "headache" and deciding to not attend the party, considering their argument. He just was surprised at his reaction. Catherine not attending would make it easier on Henry, she knew him better than anyone and that included everyone. If there was any person that would see through the ruse it would be Catherine. Her absence would also abate his guilt at wooing another woman in front of his wife. He always felt dirty when his liaisons had a presence in front of his wife, and despite her nonchalant attitude towards his affairs he knew they affected Catherine, they'd had plenty of arguments over Diane to prove that true.

Maybe it was just a part of him would have loved to woo Catherine as an unknown, wanted to see if she would be attracted to him, if maybe there would be any connection between the two of them. No, he thought even if she was in attendance those thoughts would lead to his downfall. Surely she would see through the ruse. Or maybe she wouldn't even want him, would spurn him, and Henry couldn't handle that rejection, not after knowing how she rejected him knowing who he was.

That was why tonight it needed to not be Catherine behind the mask.

* * *

Catherine had just sent word to Henry that she would not be present at tonight's festivities. Instead she would be able to use the extra time to prepare her costume. It was imperative that her identity not be discovered, she had a lot that she could lose. Maybe she should just call it off. Was one night of frivolity worth her reputation?

Looking around her room and finding everything lacking, for surely that would be where she'd end up spending the evening. She made up her mind, she would go. She didn't necessarily have to find a lover tonight, maybe just dropping the queen façade would be enough, though perhaps some flirtation would be nice. No! The whole point of the mask was to be able to misbehave in an anonymous way, get her want of Henry out of her system. She could do this!

Walking around to her wardrobe, Catherine opened the doors and found her dress. For a queen it was rather simple. No jewels adorned the bodice, no ostentatious patterns drew the eye in, and the gown barely had any gold threading. She would easy blend in in her plain red gown. Her mask, however, had to be a little bit more ornate. The designs of swirls were intricate and stunning. Catherine couldn't help but be mesmerized by the patterns, with a golden swirled border around the whole mask.

Since Catherine opted for a half mask that came down to her cheekbones, so she could converse easily, she'd had feathers put on the side to help hide her hair, which would be held back with a pearled hair net. She'd had the net made so tight that when one looked at it, all they could see was the pearls and gold thread. She'd also have ribbons braided into her hair to help disguise the color. Plus, the room would be dimly lit, making it hard to see her true hair color. She'd also make sure to steer clear of Henry, he always was drawn in by her hair, and he'd surely recognize it. Maybe she would get lucky and he'd disappear with some woman.

Of course the thought of him not knowing it was her, but still drawn to her had its appeals. She used to attract him, once upon a time. But was she losing her mind? Henry couldn't be near her, if he found out…the consequences were too horrendous to imagine.

* * *

As Henry reentered the banquet hall in his second disguise, he couldn't help but feel giddy. So far no one suspected a thing, he'd fooled everyone. He'd made his great escape as king with a woman on his arm, like everyone would suspect. Then on the way to his chambers his valet interrupted them and told him of a pressing matter that needed to be addressed. Henry bid the woman adieu and quickly took off to his chambers to change into his anonymous disguise.

Currently Henry was standing on the periphery of the festivities, everyone ignored him. People walked by him, around him, one even bumped into him, and no one had figured out his identity. Of course maybe it would be a tad harder to introduce himself to others considering he looked like any other noble. Several women had already walked by him and not even looked his way. Suddenly a little unsure of himself, Henry made his way towards the dancing.

Looking every woman up and down, trying his hardest to find a woman to drown his memories of Catherine in, Henry couldn't find one that compared to her. It was also hard to find a woman that fit his desires when half of their faces were covered by masks, their hair was disguised by feathers, pearls, nets, several contraptions to hide the original color.

Frustrated by this not thought out part of his plan, Henry made his way to the wine. He needed to regroup, come up with a plan. Catherine looked wonderful in blue, maybe he should focus on women in blue dresses? Scanning his eyes around the room, he suddenly found everyone woman in a blue dress lacking. Who was he kidding there was no imitation of what he wanted…just Catherine.

Then as if fate had intervened, Henry heard the second most melodic laugh, causing him to pause. Slowly turning around his eyes settled on a petite woman wearing one of the less ostentatious dresses, and his breath caught. Henry felt the floor shake. This was the woman he wanted, no needed. He couldn't tell really any defining characteristics from where he was standing but he knew tonight she was what he needed. She currently held two gentlemen captive in her story, which she was telling in Italian, another point for her.

How to get her to notice him? Normally everyone noticed him that was part of being king, but under these circumstances he couldn't rely on his title. He wanted her to feel the same pull that was drawing him towards her. Grabbing another glass of wine Henry drank some liquid courage.

* * *

Catherine was having the most marvelous time. She was dancing, flirting, never once worrying about her station. So far no one particular man stood out but she wasn't discouraged. Her escape would show up and whisk her away, but in the meantime Catherine enjoyed the festivities.

Upon entering the hall Catherine had scanned the room for her husband, but it seemed he had already vacated for the evening. Pushing down her disappointment and breathing a sigh of relief, Catherine made her way towards the clustered Venetian dignitaries. It would be easy enough to blend in with them. Part of her disguise was only speaking in Italian. She knew that it was easier to play with the pitch of her voice in her native tongue, and most of the French nobles knew her voice. Better to play it safe and pretend not to know French. It was there, amongst her fellow Italians, she seamlessly blended in until she was asked to dance.

After a series of dances, she had made her way to the wine, which was how she wound up talking to two dull French lords. One really butchered her language, making him hard to understand, while the other she definitely recognized as the penniless Lord LeHoux. The only enjoyable part of their conversation was they had no idea who she was. This part of knowing who they were and watching them vie for her attention was worth every risk. They genuinely had no clue they were talking (in a bawdy manner) to their queen. And when they turned and talked amongst themselves arguing, in French, over who would end up with her, they had no idea she knew every word.

Of course neither one of them would be the gentleman for her. No, she still hadn't found someone that piqued her interest. So far all of the other men were too tall, too loud, too old or just plain dull. She found that she couldn't help but compare all the others to Henry, which vexed her to no end. She didn't want to find all other men lacking, especially when her husband was seriously lacking when it came to her. She didn't want to think that she could only find release with a man who hated her.

As Catherine was lamenting her nonexistent romance while the two dullards argued over her, it was then she noticed a fellow standing by the wine table. From across the room he seemed perfect, although there was nothing discernible about whom he was, she was after all only looking at him from behind. There was just a pull towards him, a pull so strong that even though she could distinguish nothing about him, she knew he was perfect.

Suddenly Catherine laughed loudly, causing the two lords to look at her confused, but it did the trick, she had the mysterious man's attention. Continuing to speak in Italian, Catherine made up some story trying to keep the two lords engaged. Out of the corner of her eye she saw her mysterious gentlemen continue to watch her. He made no move to approach her, but she still had his attention, that had to be a good sign right?

Beginning to lose hope on her watcher, Catherine continued to add to the story, somehow she'd almost lost her life on some cliffs apparently. Then he took one last large gulp of wine and began towards her. It was happening! He was on his way to her, now if only she could shake these two bores.

"Ah husband there you are!"

It was the first thing that popped into her mind, knowing just the word husband would scare off these two. Hopefully it wasn't too forward. She also prayed he understood Italian. Her admirer did pause for just a moment as he was about to reach her, and it was in that pause that Catherine fled the two Frenchmen and latched on to the mysterious figure's arm. Thankfully, if he was thrown off by her comment, he seemed to understand the situation and quickly recovered.

"Please play along." She whispered.


	2. Chapter 2

Right when the word husband was uttered, Henry froze. Did he translate her correctly? The woman was clearly talking to him, and was obviously using him as an excuse to leave the two men, but it was something about the woman herself that made him pause. Then she grabbed his arm and Henry's first thought was Catherine.

But this woman couldn't be Catherine. Catherine was in her room faking an illness to avoid him, so being at a party that she knew he would be at would make no sense. The dress this woman was wearing was plain, he'd never seen Catherine in a gown so boring, in fact this gown made Henry think the woman was from a less wealthy family, an image Catherine would never foster. This woman was short too, shorter than Catherine, although as he looked down upon her, maybe that wasn't quite right. It was hard to tell especially since Catherine was always in heels, and this woman most definitely wasn't wearing heels, but nonetheless Catherine would be wearing heels if she were at the party.

But of course this woman would remind him of Catherine that was his whole purpose in seeking out a woman tonight. Wasn't that the reason he was drawn to her in the first place? Knowing he'd found the perfect woman to satisfy his Catherine itch, Henry settled.

"Please play along"

His plan did not involve these other two men and if she wanted to get rid of them, he'd happily oblige. And Henry enjoyed playing the role of chivalrous knight.

Remembering that the woman was speaking in Italian, Henry added to the ruse, "Thank you kind gentlemen for keeping watch over my wife. I have been looking for her everywhere."

He heard the woman stifle a laugh, so before she could accidentally blow their cover Henry and his mystery guest took a stroll around the room, plus it would allow for them to separate from the group.

"Thank you so much! Those two were absolutely tedious" she continued in Italian. Maybe she didn't speak French? "I had been trying to escape their company for ages."

Her accent was thick, though it didn't sound quite the same as the Venetians, and she spoke quite quickly. Henry struggled with making sure that he translated everything correctly, people usually accommodated his French tongue. Despite having an Italian wife, his Italian took a minute for him to translate.

"And how is your evening going?" As Henry slowly translated he heard her stifle a small chuckle, another action that reminded him of Catherine, mostly when she was trying to perfect her French in the first years of their marriage. He hadn't heard Catherine make that noise since they were maybe eighteen. "I shall speak slower for you."

Slightly embarrassed Henry responded, "Thank you, I have not had the chance recently to brush up on my Italian, but it is slowly coming back."

"So well-educated enough to know at least two languages, but out of practice which means you don't visit Italy often. Does that mean you stay mostly in France?"

If she only knew.

"As it happens my work does keep me in France, I don't often get to leave the country. " She was assessing him, despite not knowing this woman, he could swear he could see the gears turning as she tried to figure out who he was.

"So you must be a courtier, otherwise you would not be here. Do you have a role in the upcoming festivities? "

Henry chuckled, "Trying to figure out my identity?"

The woman gave him a sideways glance, "I'm only trying to discern how many times our paths have crossed and I've deemed you unremarkable until now."

Then she smirked, the most charming, enticing smirk Henry had ever seen. It looked so similar to Catherine's.

Henry felt his heart bang into his chest. This woman was perfect, her only flaw being that she was not Catherine herself, but maybe that wasn't such a bad thing, this woman at least enjoyed being in his company.

"Our paths couldn't have crossed, I would have found you remarkable in any crowd" Henry found that charm that had helped him, but hurt Catherine, in so many cases ooze out of him.

Catherine continued to size up the gentleman. He was clearly a Frenchman, but whom? The gentleman clearly did not want his true identity to be discovered; he gave no indication to his true identity, and was clearly playing with the tone of his voice.

His build and movements gave away nothing, save for the fact that he reminded her of Henry. There were several nobles that had been invited for the festivities that Catherine wasn't very familiar with, maybe he was one those?

"Perhaps you did find me remarkable, but would not dare approach me in front of your wife."

He froze, and despite only being able to see the bottom of his face, she saw the blood drain. This man was definitely married. That tidbit didn't help her discern his identity, most nobles were married, but it ruled out at least five gentlemen of her acquaintance.

"Perhaps I did find you remarkable, but waited until we were away from your husband."

* * *

Catherine felt herself freeze for just a moment. Clearly her mysterious gentleman was not afraid to play her game. She too had just accidentally let it slip she was married. Luckily, just like in her case, that would not help him determine her identity, a lot of women at court were married.

Deciding to forgo lying, Catherine decided to just admit her painful truth. Chances are her mysterious friend would think her story was part of a ruse rather than reality.

"Oh you needn't worry about him, he finds me tedious."

"Surely not."

"He probably wouldn't even notice if you had approached me in front of him." Catherine really wasn't sure why she delving so deep into her pain. This night was supposed to be about ruses and mystery, and yet here she was beginning to pour her heart out to a complete stranger that was supposed to know nothing about her.

"Madam, you've held my attention since I first laid eyes on you. If I were lucky enough to switch places with your husband I can assure you, you would not be speaking to some strange gentleman."

A thrill shot down her back, Henry used to act like that with her, but now not seeing her for days was a blessing to him. Catherine looked up into the man's eyes and was stunned by the warmth radiating from them. It truly seemed as if this man cared for her.

Except this man's honest gaze so reminded her of Henry's gaze from long ago. Was she so longing for her husband that this man's every action seemed like Henry's? Either that or Henry had a wonderful doppelgänger running around his court and she had never noticed him before.

"But what of your wife" Catherine had to deflect, her own thoughts were going to be her demise. "Surely she would not like you speaking to some strange woman."

The gentleman seemed to pause, almost inwardly sag, perhaps he had guilt?

"My wife would beg you to take me off her hands. She hates to be bothered by me."

Catherine laughed a real laugh that started in her gut and completely took over her.

"It would seem, strange sir, that we were destined to meet each other tonight."

Perhaps this man was lying to her, coming up with some sap story just to land in her bed, especially after her maudlin story, but Catherine didn't care. His tone, his demeanor, everything about him felt genuine. The irony of the masks affording them anonymity and deception was not lost on Catherine.

"It would seem like some twist of fate, strange lady, that us poor fools, unlucky in love would find one another." His tone, despite his joking words, hinted at more.

"You love your wife" Catherine said matter-of-factly. While the man didn't say much Catherine could just tell. She didn't know how she knew, just that she did. Maybe it was his choice of words, maybe she was completely off base, or maybe it was the sad look in his identical to Henry's eyes.

Not that she could tell they were identical to Henry's, she could barely make out the color of them between the dim lighting, and masks, but she imagined they looked identical to Henry's. Goodness she was hopeless.

"And you love your husband."

* * *

He shouldn't have said that, Henry chastised himself. A comment like that might scare her off. He just couldn't let her get away with knowing his deepest secret. The woman had known him for approximately an hour and she ferreted out his true feelings towards Catherine. He couldn't let her off the hook.

And this woman did love her husband. It was obvious. Her eyes conveyed a hurt that he imagined she could probably see mirrored in his own. Her tone betrayed much more emotion behind her words.

"I…"

"Do" Henry finished for her. He didn't want her to lie to him. She had seemed so open with everything else that lying about something this obvious seemed unfitting.

"Is it that obvious?" The woman seemed perplexed. Henry imagined that under her mask was a furrowed brow and an adorable questioning expression, much like one Catherine had exhibited in the past.

"Probably as obvious as me."

"Oh no" she added with a sly smile, "It is that bad?"

And it was back to levity, which Henry found set him back at ease. He didn't like the thought of a man leaving this wonderful woman neglected, she deserved so much better. That and he was forced to confront his treatment of Catherine.

But Catherine didn't want his attention, she hated him. Everything about him annoyed her, and while this was in part (maybe mostly) due to his actions, she never wasted an opportunity to remind him how much of a disappointment he was to her. Small arguments and rifts had now grown so large between them he wouldn't even know where to begin to mend them.

This woman so clearly wanted the attentions of her husband. It made him feel gallant to at least make her evening an enjoyable one. And since she reminded him so much of Catherine, though Henry was sure there was some transference on his part wanting her to so badly be Catherine, it made him feel a little bit better. Suddenly he felt her hand touch his arm.

"Sorry, it just seemed like I lost you there."

Henry looked at her. There was no chance of carrying on an affair with this woman. She was clearly in love with her husband, and she was so similar to Catherine, that she was only driving his desire for Catherine tenfold. However, he could find solace with this woman. Talking with her felt therapeutic, she had a calming effect on him, one that he hadn't felt in several years, and only ever with Catherine.

"Let's dance"

* * *

Catherine allowed the man to lead her to the dance floor. He seemed jumpy all of a sudden, eager to be moving, rather than just standing. Not that she minded dancing, in fact she loved it and was quite good at dancing.

However as the music started, Catherine realized that she was significantly shorter than her partner, since she chose to forgo her normal heels, making the dance a bit more awkward for herself, constantly having to readjust the placement of her hands. Whenever their hands touched, or she'd have to touch an arm, she imagined it was Henry dancing with her, and it was so easy to imagine. On one spin she accidentally grabbed the man's forearm instead of hand and slid her hand up along his arm, noticing how similar in build this man was to Henry.

As the music came to a close the gentleman led her to edge of the room. His hand naturally fell to the small of her back as they skirted around people, making Catherine relive the moments Henry used to do that same motion. The feeling gutted her.

"How do you cope?" The gentleman looked back at her questioningly, "with your marriage? I mean."

Catherine wasn't sure where that came from, it was an oddly personal question, and especially for a person she had just met, and barely knew. In fact she really couldn't blame him if he so chose to walk away from her that moment.

But he didn't. Instead he stood there a moment and seemed to give the question deep thought, or maybe he was coming up with the best excuse to leave her company. As he thought, Catherine realized she was dying to know his answer. By this point she had long given up on a one night whirlwind affair with the man, but she did realize that she connected with him on a more personal level. He was the first person since Henry in the early years of their marriage she felt a genuine connection too, and that meant so much more than sex.

"I hurt her, emotionally. " His honesty quickly pulled her from her thoughts, "I pull little exploits that I know will get under her skin just to see her reaction. Only just to see if there is a reaction, because if there is one, I know that she feels some sort of emotion towards me, which is better than the opposite. I know it's wrong, and seeing the hurt guts me, but at this point I don't even know how to stop."

"I purposely defy what my husband wants" Catherine knew she shouldn't open up, it would be so easy to let a detail slip that would not apply to a normal noblewoman. But she wanted to comfort him, and she genuinely believed he was sorry for doing antics towards his wife. She understood completely being in a vicious cycle with her spouse.

"I want him to know that he has no effect on my actions. I parade my independence in front of him so he knows that I don't need him."

"And do you? Need him?"

* * *

"Yes"

Henry sighed with relief. It comforted him to know that he was not the only person who was madly in love with someone who couldn't stand them. This woman saying yes to his question felt like Henry had just received confirmation from Catherine that they still had a chance. It was odd that this woman could simultaneously rattle and set him at ease.

"I need her too. More than she probably knows." Henry knew he couldn't divulge too much, he and Catherine had to face many dilemmas that most couples would never even dream of. But watching the smile come back to the woman's face was worth every secret he might accidentally spill, and even though he could only make out the bottom half of her face, he knew that when this woman smiled it radiated from her whole face, much like Catherine's.

"I were correct earlier when I said it seemed we were destined to meet. You have made me feel better about everything. You have comforted me in a way that I have not felt in years. Thank you."

"And thanks to you, my lady. You have given me a sense of peace that I believed I had lost."

"You know, I came to this party to have whirlwind affair with some gentlemen to get back at him."

Henry chuckled.

"What is so funny?"

"You don't strike me as the type who conducts affairs."

"Oh I don't, in fact you were supposed to be my first one, but since my damn husband can't even leave me alone when I'm trying to forget him it seems pointless now." The woman shrugged but didn't seem defeated, "at least now I won't have to carry that guilt."

"That guilt never goes away either, trust me, as a man who has made the dumbest mistakes. Be glad you can still hold your head high."

The woman looked at him curiously, hopefully by admitting he was a philandering wastrel he didn't ruin the odd friendship he had created with this woman.

"Before you judge me too harshly, it is usually her name that slips out during the throws of passion. Mostly because I can't get her out of my head, and in those most intimate moments I think of her."

The woman laughed, "I'm not sure how your wife would take that but I find it a good penance, your bedfellows must hate that."

"After her name is uttered I'm often left. I've even been hit."

"You deserve that" the woman choked out between laughs.

"I'm glad that you find my destruction humorous" Henry added with a wry smile. The woman then took on a mischievous appearance. She ducked in low, as if she was about to divulge a secret of the state.

"Perhaps, since by your own admission you are a debaucher, you wouldn't mind debauching me." Henry felt his eyes widen, did the woman not pay attention to anything he had just confessed?

"Only just a little! Perhaps just a kiss goodnight. My plans tonight had been get even with him, and well since I'm not worried about it going any further, would you mind helping me feel like I'm not bowing out of an affair because of him?"

* * *

Catherine knew she was nuts, she had just plain confessed to loving Henry and was asking this stranger to kiss her. She could sense his befuddlement.

"It doesn't need to be some grand kiss, just a kiss between friends. It will be odd with the masks anyways."

His eyes dropped to her lips, Catherine held her breath. The man wanted to kiss her, the desire she had first noticed in his eyes when they first met was back.

He dropped his head slowly, and she rose to her tip toes, without her heels she really needed to extend. Their lips connected, and it was a small kiss really, but had far reaching effects. The man pulled her closer, while she invited the kiss to get deeper. He tasted wonderful, a mix of how Henry used to kiss her and an Italian wine she hadn't had in ages.

Pulling apart for air, Catherine rested her hands on his chest, more to stop herself from going back. The man was just as affected, she could tell.

"Thank you and good night" she quickly got out between heavy gasps, she figured she needed to put distance between them before things did escalate.

"Goodnight mysterious lady" he whispered as Catherine turned to walk away, a small smile forming. Maybe during the rest of the party she could try to figure out which lord he was, that would certainly liven things up.


	3. Chapter 3

Thank you to everyone who reviewed! They are so nice to read. Hopefully you all like this addition as well. I'm trying to build up to an "unmasking" of sorts.

Henry awoke the next morning feeling rejuvenated. He had the most wonderful, sensual, sweet dreams of Catherine and himself, a mixture of memories and fantasies. That woman he had met last night had been just what he needed. She _was_ Catherine, or at least what Catherine used to be like before life got in the way.

He wondered who this woman was. Prior to last night he hadn't noticed any one woman that seemed to resemble Catherine in stature, then again he wasn't looking. Her height though should give her away, although maybe for the rest of her days at court she would wear heels. He couldn't quite remember her hair color, though it was definitely on the lighter shade, she'd had it wrapped so tightly and with a lot of pearls. Funny that, Catherine loved pearls.

Her dress was simple, that was the biggest deviation from Catherine, who always showed off her prestige with her wardrobe. The only characteristic he could recall was that the dress was red. Catherine though did always stun in red.

The woman was correct though, he did have it bad for Catherine. His thoughts kept circling back to Catherine. Perhaps the woman really didn't remind him of Catherine but rather he was just so obsessed he only saw the similarities.

But who was her husband too? Was he in constant meeting with a man who had no idea that his wife was wonderful? Did her husband know how much his wife cared for him? He had to. It was evident the woman was in love with him, and he didn't even know the woman.

Then again, was his love for Catherine that obvious? Was the whole court laughing behind his back at his misery? The mysterious woman picked up on it immediately. Or maybe both of them were more sensitive to love and the accompanying heartbreak when it didn't work out. He thought probably the latter.

On his way to the breakfast room Henry looked over every woman, not with seduction but with suspicion to whether or not she was the mysterious figure. He even found himself eyeing the Italian gentlemen, wondering which one could be such a fool to not appreciate her.

He wanted to figure out who she was just so he could see her. He'd built up this illusion of her being so similar to Catherine he had to find out. Plus he'd always loved a good intrigue. He combed his memory trying to remember the littlest of details about the woman. She wore rings but nothing that stuck out. She only wore one simple pearl necklace. The most ornate item she wore was her mask.

Rounding the corner and entering the breakfast room, Henry quickened his step. His favorites were being served this morning and after the action packed dreams he'd had last night he was quite hungry. But wait, nothing that he wanted was being presented before him. He'd wanted nothing but glorious spreads of food to show off France, but the bread and cheese being laid before him did not do that.

He beckoned a servant, "What is the meaning of this? Where is the feast?"

The servant looked as if he wanted the floor to eat him up, "Her majesty the Queen changed the menu yesterday afternoon, saying this was more in line with what the Venetians were used too."

As if one cue the devil herself walked into the room.

* * *

Henry was fuming at her, Catherine could feel it. She refused to look at him but knew, if she did she would see pure anger. Really though she was just playing the role of perfect hostess, it just so happened that Signor Bernardi, the leader of the Venetian party's favorite food was Henry's least favorite. Just a happy coincidence. She might also have learned this information and then after their fight yesterday changed the menu. Not seeing him at the party last night might have only made her surer of her decision. She had no regrets. Plus Signor Bernardi was overjoyed, making it impossible for Henry to cause a scene.

Looking elsewhere throughout the room Catherine started to try and figure out who was the mysterious gentleman. It would be hard to discern his identity because everything about him reminded her of Henry, she couldn't quite remember what was real and what she supposed he looked like. She did remember that while his Italian was slow to start he ended up being quite fluent. That meant he didn't use it often, so he couldn't have been in any of the previous meetings with any dignitaries. Who were some of the latecomer to the festivities? Or maybe they only spoke French in the meetings, she wouldn't know she was excluded.

Was there any one thing about him that stuck out? What about him made her think of Henry? She couldn't see his face so there wasn't an uncanny similar appearance. Plenty of men were around Henry's height. She couldn't tell what color his hair was since he'd worn a hat. She'd been drawn in by the red feather on the hat and by studying it she noticed he couldn't have had long hair. He danced with her the way Henry did, her hand fit into the gentleman's like hers did with Henry. But she couldn't go around placing her hand in every Frenchman's hand, as Queen she was allowed certain liberties but that might go too far.

How would she act if she found out his identity? She really wanted to continue talking to him. It was nice to have a confidant that understood what she was going through. Of course it's not like she could hope to pursue a friendship with him, she was a queen and she had kissed him! No perhaps it was for the best that his identity remain a mystery. Of course what were the chances of her figuring it out, she didn't have much to go off of.

Then again who was his wife? She must have been an awful woman, probably only self-concerned. How could she not see her husband was hopeless when it came to her? If only that woman knew what she had.

Looking over the women of the court that were present, Catherine could easily find women that she knew fit that description, however she knew that most of their husbands were equally retched beings. He must not be present currently that could be the only explanation. All of the men present that she recognized weren't capable of the honest emotions she and the gentleman had shared. No, all of these men would say and do anything just to stay in favor with Henry, shallow beings.

Thinking of Henry made her look in his direction. He had no problem sharing his emotions with her, currently he was exhibiting anger directed right at her. Good she thought. She wanted to get back at him for humiliating her in front of the court yesterday. Changing the menu overall wasn't a big deal, but she knew removing Henry's favorites would send a message.

Just wait until he found about the schedule changes she implemented.

* * *

Catherine clearly made her point in expressing her anger at Henry. She'd changed meals, schedules, and activities, all to make Henry look bad. Obviously she was still angry at their argument yesterday. She obviously wanted to show that she still had control. Funny, that woman mentioned doing the same exact behavior. Maybe that was a common way for wives to act out? At least now he was beginning to see the reason for her behavior.

Finding a block of free time after heavy discussions with his visiting guests, Henry stole off to the East garden for some alone time. After an afternoon of negotiations he wanted some quiet to reflect about his decisions. Noticing some courtiers milling about the garden as well Henry ducked into the maze. He had no plans to actually make his way through but just hide out long enough to let the men walk by.

Making his way to a dead end path that had a bench, Henry sat and allowed the sun to warm up his face. Sagging against bench he shut his eyes and allowed the tension to escape his body. The birds chirping in the tree behind him caused Henry to perk up on sounds. The courtiers he was hiding from were just over the hedge to his right, he couldn't quite make out what they were saying but he could tell they were gossiping. Hearing a noise directly in front of him, Henry slowly opened his eyes to see a squirrel running along the maze pathway before turning.

Smiling to himself he shut his eyes again and tuned into the noises around him. He could hear birds all over, normally the chirps vexed him, but right now they helped settle his tension. There was laughter at the fountain in front of him, though it was through a couple of hedges. Soon it seemed though like all the conversations around him had ended, everyone probably attending some activity Catherine had scheduled. All he knew was that he had no more meetings.

Starting to doze off he was awakened when directly behind him he heard some muttering. What was behind him? Another garden he thought trying to remember exactly where he was while waking up. That's right, it was a small garden that showcased some of their more expensive blooms. It was almost completely encased by hedges giving its occupant a lot of privacy. The small tree with the birds was in there. In the spring it would have the smallest blooms that would give off an overpowering floral smell. That garden was one of Catherine's favorite places.

Perking up to listen to some of the muttering, Henry could tell that the mutterer was a woman and that she was displeased with a servant. But wait she was muttering in Italian. Straining to hear her voice Henry turned to face the hedge. He couldn't see through the shrubbery at all, but he had to hear this woman's voice. Maybe she was the mysterious woman.

Heart pounding in his chest Henry listened with bated breath. The woman was speaking low, but the tone sounded _very_ similar. The accent was there too, he knew, mostly due to his proximity with the Venetians over the past few days that his mystery woman was not originally from Venice. Her accent didn't quite match the rest, but he wasn't familiar enough to place a region.

What were the chances that the woman just on the other side of the hedge was the woman he danced with last evening, the very same woman who understood his pain.

Straining to hear every word Henry got closer, practically climbing up the hedge. The woman started again, only this time it wasn't about the servant it was about her husband! Henry almost fell off the bench with excitement. It had to be the same woman! She sounded so similar albeit in hushed tones, but she was complaining about her husband to herself. Or at least he assumed it was to herself, no other voice had chimed.

Did he dare make contact? What if it wasn't her? On the bright side the woman on the other side of the hedge wouldn't ever know his identity. But it had to be her, it sounded so similar. It also only seemed right that this woman would show up again under mysterious circumstances after a somewhat squabble with Catherine. Should he take a chance?

"Hello strange lady."

* * *

Catherine froze. She swore she actually felt her heart stop. The man must have figured out her identity. Hopefully he didn't try to blackmail her. She knew she shouldn't have gone last night.

Looking around she saw no one though. So the man was playing games.

"Don't panic, there is a hedge between us, if in fact you are the woman I danced with last night."

His voice was nervous sounding, so he was guessing. Catherine felt her heart slowly start back up. But it was the man from last night, the voice was the exact same.

"How did you know it was me?" She asked, she was dying to know how he found her in this secluded garden.

"I heard you muttering about your husband."

Ah, she actually had just been doing that. So the man hadn't known she was there for too long. Slowly she turned to look at the hedge. Her mysterious dance partner stood right there inches from her, but still hidden by branches, she'd never seen this man before in her life but now it seemed she couldn't shake him.

"Yes, you probably did hear me. We just had another argument." That wasn't quite true, but she knew one was brewing, she'd done enough in the past few hours to know that Henry was not happy. She heard him stifle a chuckle.

"My wife and I are in a similar situation, she has pulled antics just to pick a fight with me. Before approaching her I came out here to clear my head."

"Yes, I needed some space and stumbled upon this garden, which offers marvelous privacy from others."

"Minus the maze on the other side" he joked.

"Well you are welcome intrusion. It is nice to have someone to talk to, especially when one is feeling down. "There he went somehow able to get her to open up to him.

"I'm glad. I found your conversation very settling last night."

Catherine was flattered. They really did find solace with one another, if only they knew how to cure each other's marital problems.

"Do you think you will reconcile?" Catherine shouldn't ask, that should be information that he offers up. She really shouldn't pry. But the words were out there. Maybe if he and his wife could work through, maybe she and Henry could too?

She heard him inhale.

"I….." he trailed off, "I wish we could. There have just been years of anger and distrust that have built between us."

She understood completely.

"Have you tried? Would she be amenable to reconciliation?" When would she learn to stop? This gentleman was kind enough to open himself up to her and she wanted more, more of his story, his pain, and how it so reminded her of her own.

"I would give anything to know that she would be willing."

* * *

Henry had never uttered those words before. Outwardly he always acted like Catherine was a nuisance, but internally he always felt bad for the hand she'd been dealt by being married off to him. She deserved so much better. But a life without her seemed worse.

He would do anything to know Catherine still had any feelings towards him other than hatred. Despite his actions he did always think of her. She probably didn't realize that it was he who made sure that her favorite flowers were in every garden, or that her favorite pastries were always served. She especially didn't know that her portrait was in each of his bedrooms.

He didn't mind her not knowing that these little touches were his idea, rather he did them because he knew they would make her smile. Thinking further on it, he was glad Catherine didn't know, he didn't want her to feel like she owed him anything.

"Perhaps you should try. Are you forthcoming with your feelings?"

Henry had to stop himself from laughing out loud, "We are really only good at communicating our frustrations with each other." Plus he was sure if he just walked up to Catherine and said, "I love you" she would just give him a horrified expression.

"Then make your next encounter a more pleasant one. I hate when my husband walks in all angry, it immediately makes me feel on the defense." Her tone made him sound like she had lived through this on several occasions. "Give her a compliment, you needn't be over the top with it, perhaps tell her, her gown is lovely, or ask her opinion on something. I love when my husband seeks my counsel."

Henry digested everything the woman was saying, "And what of you? Would you want to reconcile?"

"I miss my husband, terribly, and I would love for us to be as we once were, but I'm not enough for him."

He understood her meaning. Her husband was similar to himself. Did his wandering hurt Catherine the way this woman was hurt. Why couldn't they appreciate what they had? Catherine was perfect and yet he allowed himself to be pulled in another direction.

"As a man who has strayed, please know that it's not that you are not enough. We aren't enough and are weak. It is us who are lacking." Henry had to say that. Catherine was not lacking in any way, he just had a weak character.

"Perhaps you should mention that to your wife." He loved that she used a sarcastic tone, trying to keep lighten up the otherwise heavy topic they were discussing, "Maybe then she will be more open to reconciliation."

If only it were that easy.

"Talking to you helps, it is therapeutic for me" he let slip. It was true. This woman was so similar to Catherine that it felt like he was talking to Catherine, and not some mysterious lady that would soon be back in Italy.

"I feel exactly the same."

* * *

Catherine did feel the same. She now also had no desire to seek Henry out to fight, maybe just to see him, but definitely not to argue. Perhaps as a sign of a truce she would make sure that dinner was to his liking.

Her companion didn't immediately comment back but it didn't feel awkward. Rather it felt like they were sitting side by side in companionable silence, like there wasn't a hedge and mysterious identities between them. Much like how she and Henry were at times when they'd stroll the gardens together.

"When do you leave for Italy?" his voice pulled her from her thoughts.

"Trying to figure out how many days you have to guess my identity?"

She heard him chuckle.

"Just trying to figure out how many more times we will bump into each other."

It was odd, this party had been going on for almost a week now, and it was only last night they met. Now here they were less than twenty-four hours later happening upon on one another in the garden.

"We leave at the end of the week" she made up a departure date. Most of the party was leaving then so it was a safe lie. She also needed him to know that it would be hopeless to try and ferret out her identity. That would not end well.

Noticing an arriving servant, Catherine immediately rose.

"I'm so sorry but I must be off." She did not need the servant to accidentally give away her name.

"Maybe I'll see you again, with or without a mask." She heard him call out causing her to smile. If only she and Henry could be so open with one another.


	4. Chapter 4

Once again, thank you all for your kind reviews! Enjoy

Henry only had a few days to find out who this mystery woman was. Her responses were so similar to what he would expect from Catherine it was uncanny. Plus running into the mysterious woman twice, it seemed like fate wanted him to discern her identity. That couldn't be a coincidence. He did choose to ignore the fact that in both settings any identifying markers were covered.

He wasn't sure what he would do once he figured out her identity. He knew she wouldn't want an affair, and neither did he actually. Maybe thank the woman for reminding him that what he already had was perfect. Or perhaps he would just be content in knowing that he figured her out.

But, he needed to figure her out first.

Currently he was standing along a stone wall in the courtyard. There were several women convening here as well and his current position gave him a great look out to watch them. Not that he was watching _them_ per se but rather studying them to see if they could be his mysterious woman. So far no one really stood out to him.

He sighed out loud. He sounded pathetic, but this hunt was so exhausting. There was no particular woman that stood out in the throne room this morning. Granted that might not have been her fault but Catherine's for distracting him. Throughout his journeys through the castle he would happen upon women and still none of them struck him as the mysterious woman. Even now, he could see that there were clusters of noble Italian women scattered throughout the courtyard and still not a one even made him do a double take.

But wait, who was that?

Henry was about to give up and head back into the castle when he noticed a woman standing behind the fountain. Due their distance apart it was hard to approximate her height, the most defining characteristic about the mystery woman. But he could tell that she was the shortest woman amongst the group.

She was also hard to make out due to the fountain, her image was blurry due to the running water, but if he tried to move to his left there was a shrub that would block his view of the woman, and to his right was the wall he kept leaning against. The blasted woman also had her back turned to him, how was he ever going to figure her out?

This woman was wearing a red dress, just like his mysterious dance partner. That had to be a good sign. Her hair was up as well and it looked to be a lighter shade, though it was hard to tell with the water was able to her image. If only he could walk up and slide his arms around her, maybe even do a few dance steps, then he would be able to tell. The woman would feel just like Catherine in his arms, just without Catherine's face.

The woman turned, and seemed to look right at him! Maybe she could feel him watching her. He couldn't make out any distinguishing features due to distance and that blasted fountain, only an outline. This had to be the mysterious woman though. She seemed like the only one he couldn't place, and it seemed like any time he might catch a true glimpse, fate intervened.

But now the woman was walking away, it almost seemed like she was in a hurry. Luckily he knew the layout and could use that to his advantage. She was exiting the courtyard from the furthest point from his location, but unless she was to go into the kitchens (not likely since she was a noblewoman) she would have to go down the same corridor that was to his right. He wouldn't be able to see her enter the hallway but he could meet her there and just casually walk by, hopefully catching a glimpse

* * *

Catherine couldn't wait for the Venetian party to leave. As the negotiations drew to a close she found herself looking forward to not playing host for a time. Despite the rumors of her being a power-grabbing shrew, she did like not to have to always put on show and play the political games all the time. She would much rather be overseeing her youngest children's education, but instead she was in the courtyard playing nice with the visiting wives and mistresses.

Currently she and Contessa Russo were discussing the importance of the treaty to both of their husbands. Hopefully the contessa would relay to her husband what Catherine was saying.

"Pardon your majesty, but there is a gentleman intently watching you. In fact it seems as if he is straining to see you."

Catherine felt her eyes dart to the woman's face, as if looking at the contessa's face could give her a clue as to who this gentleman was, "There are quite a few of us out here, perhaps he is looking for someone."

The woman didn't seem to believe that, "I'm not sure your majesty, he really isn't looking about. More right at you actually."

"Perhaps he is looking at you. You are right in front of me."

"As flattering as that would be, I believe it is you he is looking at. I'm merely only a contessa, you are a queen, title wise you are much more interesting. You are also a good several years younger than me, and it seems your admirer is closer to you in age."

"Describe him" Catherine couldn't bring herself to turn and look yet. What if he recognized her? For goodness sakes they kissed, he could ruin her very quickly, Henry would be only too glad to be rid of her.

"Well it's hard for me to do him justice, these eyes aren't quite what they used to be. Plus between the sun and the fountain my view is much distorted. He is also standing in the shadow preventing me from being able to tell the color of his hair, if he even has any! He's not a lover is he?"

Catherine felt her jaw drop in shock, "Of course not! I would never stoop so low, but I often have courtiers seeking appointment with me, trying to get me to support their cause." She lied, not about having a lover (which she did not have), or people seeking her favor, but she knew the gentleman in question was not campaigning for anything.

"Well, the man seems richly dressed, so he is not a servant looking above his station" she added with a sly smile, "but his face is in the shadow, I can't make out any features."

"But what of his dress" Catherine implored, perhaps she could garner enough information to learn _any_ identifying marker.

"He is in blue, perhaps on the darker shade, but the shadow could be making it darker. If there are any patterns, the water has distorted them."

That didn't help, many men wore blue.

Taking a risk Catherine turned to look at the gentleman. If it was the man and he recognized her she could lose it all. But then again what were the chances? There were several gentlemen wandering around the castle, this fellow could be any one of them just enjoying the lovely day watching the fountain, though her gut instinct told her that was not the case.

Unfortunately (maybe fortunately?) Catherine couldn't make out any details herself. The man seemed to be wearing blue, about Henry's height and build, and was most definitely looking in her direction. It had to be him, something within her told her it was. That same feeling was also telling her to run. If he recognized her…she didn't really want to think of potential outcomes.

Catherine excused herself from her company and began towards the exit furthest from him. But if he were familiar with the grounds he'd know there was only one passage way. She could cut through the kitchens, but that would cause quite a scene. She could, however, grab a kitchen servant and make them walk with her, making it look like the queen was down there for business and not coming from the courtyard.

* * *

Henry waited along the corridor with a big smile on his face. This was it. He would finally see the woman who shared his pain. He had no proof that the woman soon to be walking down the corridor was the masked woman, but he knew. He could feel it in his gut. He seemed to be continually drawn to her and once again he was drawn to that woman in the courtyard.

He couldn't wait. Maybe she would look like Catherine? They seemed so alike in everything else it seemed only natural she would look like her. Or maybe she didn't resemble Catherine at all and all the similarities from the ball were made up in his delusional want of his wife.

Except she didn't show up, in fact no one walked by him. This made no sense, she wouldn't have walked through the kitchens would she? From that particular courtyard there were only two points of entry, one of which he was standing in, the other where he saw the woman make her way towards. The woman couldn't be hiding from him, maybe she did recognize him.

Henry started back towards the way he came stopping just around the corner. He looked down where he had been standing trying to survey the scene. The woman couldn't have just disappeared, perhaps she was waylaid by someone?

Slowly he turned around back on his heels getting ready to round the corner to make his way forward, maybe then he would just pass her chatting with someone.

"Oof!" he grunted as his hands came down around the shapely body that he had collided with.

Catherine.

They both had rounded the corner at the same time, colliding. Although Henry couldn't complain, the collision had allowed him to wrap one hand around her back, while the other hand landed on her shoulder. Her torso had pressed up right against his and her hands were clutching his sides.

Henry smiled, he had found himself in worse situations before.

"Henry, what on Earth? Why are you practically running down the hall accosting me?"

She was obviously not as pleased about their encounter as he was, although her hands were still holding on to him, and she hadn't seemed to notice his hand around her back. Truthfully if anyone happened upon them they'd think they were having a romantic encounter.

"I was looking for someone." Her hands left his sides.

"Don't worry I'm sure any of the women in the courtyard would love to be your mistress for the night." The tone of her voice would have frozen their best wine.

"No, I was looking for my valet" he lied. Catherine's comment had irked him a tad. He was looking for a woman, just not for the reasons that she would expect.

Knowing that his next comment could potentially start a fight, especially if he tried to pay her back for her snide comment, he recalled the previous conversation with the woman. Pay her a compliment. His mysterious woman said that she hated being greeted with negativity. She also said try to pay his wife a compliment. He looked his wife up and down. It would be easy to pay her a compliment. Her dark red gown fit her perfectly. Why would he want to look for any other woman? Especially with her looking like this?

"Catherine, you look lovely in that dress"

* * *

Henry lightly grabbed both of her hands, brought them to his lips, and gave each one a small kiss. He then turned around and took off from where he came.

Catherine stood rooted to the ground, a small smile developing on her face, one that she would deny if anyone ever asked her about it. Her husband could be his own mystery sometimes. Suddenly coming back to reality, she looked over at the kitchen maid who had been silently standing through the whole thing.

"Come on. We've a menu to plan!" Catherine barked. She felt slightly bad for the tone she used, but Henry had disrupted her. Plus she was still searching for the mysterious gentleman. The path she was taking would lead her right by him, provided he was still there. He could have walked off by this point, thank you Henry.

Making her way around the corner, Catherine could feel the anticipation building. She had to go through this way, there was no other choice.

As she rounded the corner, her eyes fell on the location that the man had been standing. Empty. The tension immediately left her body, and she couldn't help but feel disappointed. Really she should be thankful the gentleman had disappeared, had he recognized her and then saw Henry, it could really spell disaster for her.

But she had really wanted to know who he was, or at least what he looked like. As she walked by she scanned the area. Maybe the gentleman was just hidden from the corner? But no, it had seemed he had moved on and made his way back into the castle.

Why she even got her hopes was beyond her. She had no proof that the gentleman was the masked one, only a gut feeling. Of course now she would never know, thanks to Henry and his stalling her.

Looking back at the kitchen maid Catherine gave her orders, "Make everything served at dinner this evening his majesties favorites."

What could she say, despite his stalling he had paid her a compliment, and he himself had looked quite dashing in his blue doublet. She could also recall his arm wrapped around her back pulling her close to prevent her from falling. Or perhaps she was just serving all of his favorites because she was head over heels for him.


	5. Chapter 5

Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to review! Your kind words always mean so much. Sorry for the delay, just kept hitting blocks with this particular chapter. Hopefully you all enjoy!

Today was the day the Venetians were leaving. For Henry it was also the last chance to catch a glimpse of the masked lady. Once they left, he would probably never cross paths with her again. Or even if he did he might not even know, he never figured out her identity.

But what was it about this woman? He knew that his heart belonged to Catherine and always would. He also didn't want to pursue anything with her other than friendship. He couldn't quite explain the pull towards her. Maybe it was the mystery, or the comfortable feeling he had with her, or maybe it was still there was something about her that reminded him of his wife. She felt like Catherine in his arms, their conversation in the maze reminded him of conversing with Catherine back before every conversation turned into an argument, and that day when he saw her standing in the courtyard he noticed she had lighter hair, like Catherine's.

Speaking of Catherine, Henry looked to his left where his wife stood. She looked radiant. Did she long for him the way he did for her? Speaking with the mysterious lady gave him a new perspective, one from a woman's point. Perhaps Catherine acted the way she did out of pain and not hatred like Henry previously thought. Maybe she hid her feelings from him, the way he hid his from her. He couldn't blame her if she did, their marriage wasn't known for romantic overtures.

Catherine hadn't even looked his way, instead keeping herself preoccupied by scanning everyone in the rooms face. Was she looking for someone? Odd, normally she took these political matters seriously. She seemed like she was barely paying any attention to their guests who were thanking them for their hospitality and looked forward to the compromises made. Instead she just kept looking at the people amongst the crowd.

Of course now that he was fully watching his wife, it did seem like she looked stress. She barely smiled, and while if she were trapped into conversation with him that would be normal but she was still playing the role of hostess, to her own countrymen! Florence and Venice may not have had the most solid of relationships, but she knew that France and Venice needed one another, especially to keep Spain under control. Catherine was not herself, she just seemed preoccupied.

Throat clearing pulled Henry back to the party saying their farewells. Didn't that look great, while the queen seemed distracted by someone in the crowd, the king was distracted by the queen. Trying to divert his attention back to his guests, Henry couldn't help but allow his thoughts slip back to Catherine. His masked partner had wanted reconciliation, could Catherine as well?

Without thinking Henry reached out and took hold of her hand, immediately pulling her attention from the crowd to their entwined hands. She looked up at him with a questioning expression. Henry just smiled down at her and gave her hand a quick squeeze when she returned the smile with a small one of her own. That had to be a good sign.

Returning his attention to the speech being given, Henry felt eight feet tall. He would send her flowers today. He could easily have his secretary get on that after the goodbyes. Catherine would like that, she always loved flowers.

* * *

Unbeknownst to Henry, after giving his secretary the task of delivering flowers to Catherine, was that his secretary assigned the task to his visiting nephew. He had brought the young man, visiting from Provence, to assist him with his many tasks after all the talks and negotiations. The young man quickly wrote down the queen's name in his neatest calligraphy and brought the flowers to the queen's chambers, leaving just as quickly as he arrived.

* * *

Once Catherine entered her chambers, however, a smile was not the first thing to grace her face. She immediately noticed the vase filled with an assortment of flowers from her favorite garden, but the vase was not put on her desk, which was where her ladies placed everything. So who ever dropped the flowers off was not familiar with her space, even Henry's secretary would place items on her desk in her study, not the first table one saw when they entered her quarters.

Eyeing the flowers suspiciously she looked at the small card placed delicately next to the vase. The card simply read her name, "Catherine", not her title but her given name. Obviously the sender felt comfortable with her.

Her first thought would have been Henry, but there was no reason for him to send her flowers. Sure he'd do something like this for a mistress but not his wife, at least not anymore. Plus he was really not interested in her, on more than one occasion this past week alone she'd caught him quite obviously watching the Italian women. Studying the card also puzzled her. Catherine was not written by someone's handwriting that she was familiar with. This definitely left out Henry, she had close to twenty years of reading his secretary's scribbling. It was also not any of her children's, though one would assume they'd use the title of mother. There was no one visiting that could claim such a close acquaintance.

Except, what if?

Catherine felt her heart seize up. There was no way it could be. She quickly looked around, as if that were the moment the sender would reveal themselves. Could they have found out?

She immediately went to her two guards, "Who was it that dropped off the flowers?"

"They didn't say, your majesty" answered one guard.

"So you let a complete stranger into my quarters?" Catherine demanded.

"Begging your pardon your highness, all the young man said was that he had a gift for her majesty and was instructed to drop it off" the guard stuttered out.

"Did they leave a name?" Catherine could feel her patience wearing thin. If this supposed young man worked for the masked man, that meant that he knew who she was, which would only spell disaster for her.

"No, your majesty, I've never seen the young lad before."

So it was a visiting secretary that dropped off the flowers.

"But he did have a Provençal accent."

The guard all but confirmed her fears. If her masked man was from Provence it would make sense that they would be involved with the negotiations, they were right next to the Italian border. This was definitely a disaster.

"From now on, I want identification for anyone that steps foot into my quarters" She reprimanded her guards and stormed back into in chambers.

So he'd discovered her identity it seemed, but how, and more importantly how did she not figure him out first? And what did his gift mean? He didn't sign the card, which could mean he was keeping up their charade, or his lack of name could mean he was taunting her because she still didn't know who he was. If it was the latter it would only be a matter of time before Henry found out that she'd kissed the gentleman.

She didn't even want to get into the hurt she felt as well. Her masked gentleman felt like a real friend, and now some strange noble knew some of her deepest secrets. This was not how she wanted to spend the day.

She was looking forward to having the castle back to normalcy after the Venetian party left. She had scanned the great hall one last time for her masked gentleman, at this point it seemed more habit. Then of course Henry had held her hand during the farewell speeches!

Sighing, Catherine sat down at the table. She had completely forgotten how confused she felt at the time. Then he had actually smiled at her. What on earth had all of that meant?

Catherine caught sight of the flowers again, and let out a laugh, finding out who the masked gentleman was would definitely distract her enough to not worry about Henry's impromptu affection.

* * *

Henry couldn't wait to see Catherine. Surely the flowers would have brightened her mood. Maybe during dinner they would be able to have a civil conversation without one getting mad at the other. He wished he could have seen her earlier but appointments kept him away.

Henry took his seat and waited with baited breath. The banquet hall continued to fill with several individuals that were still around from the negotiations, but Henry paid them no mind, instead he just watched the doorway that Catherine should appear from.

And then she did, except she didn't seem pleased. Rather she seemed tenser than she had been at the farewells. Maybe she didn't like the flowers? Henry made up his mind then and there to not mention them. Maybe she didn't want to reconcile and he had been too hopeful since his masked lady had so desperately wanted to reunite with her husband.

"Catherine" he acknowledged as she took her place next to him. He could almost cut the tension with a knife that was rolling off of her. What could possibly have her so stressed?

"Henry" she responded tersely, barely giving him a look, rather continually looking around the room. This was odd behavior Henry noted. She had clearly been looking for someone earlier as well.

"How are you this evening?" It was stupid to continue to pester her, past experiences had taught him that but he couldn't help himself. He just wanted to talk to her about anything, everything.

"I'm fine" she really didn't want to entertain a conversation, but on the bright side she clearly wasn't upset with him, he would have known by now if she was.

Henry allowed silence to reign between them. His goal wasn't to further agitate Catherine. Instead he studied her. She seemed to really study every person in the room. Every so often he would also notice that it looked like she was attempting to eavesdrop on conversations. Of course from their position it was a fruitless attempt, even though he'd been guilty of the same crime several times. Some of her ladies would also come up and whisper in her ear.

Yes, Catherine was clearly looking for someone, but for what purpose?

"How many courtiers were from Provence with these last negotiations?" Her question pulled Henry from his thoughts. Maybe she would clue him into her search.

"Only a handful" He wondered which one had piqued her curiosity and why, but continued to wait to see where the conversation went.

Catherine looked like she was trying to word her next question, the hesitation written all over her face, "How many of them are still here?"

Henry was puzzled. He knew that Catherine personally knew two lords already and could quite easily see them.

"Not too many, I believe you are already acquainted with the Lords Conteville and Meulan, both of which are conversing in the corner. Then there is also the young Baron de Stuteville, though he did not partake much given his age, and in the far right corner is Lord St. Maur. "

He watched Catherine's eyes follow his hands pointing in the direction of Lord St. Maur, and once he eyes settled it seemed like she stopped breathing. Odd.

"What do you know of him?"

"He is a notorious womanizer, loves to bed any woman, not someone a lady should hang around." Henry ignored her sarcastic glance. What could Catherine possibly want with someone like him.

"The women seem to flock to him" she commented, rather unnecessarily in Henry's opinion. Of course though, her observation was correct. Lord St. Maur had several women surrounding him, all vying for his attention, which he was happy to give, until he realized Catherine was looking in his direction.

"It is ridiculous the way he conducts himself, he should act more accordingly to his title."

* * *

Catherine couldn't believe her ears. Was Henry really complaining about someone's womanizing ways? Other than this Lord St. Maur, Henry had to be the worst offender. But right now none of that mattered. Was he the masked gentleman?

Catherine couldn't help but feel somewhat disappointed if that was the case. The man was similar in age to Henry, maybe a little bit younger. The man also kept his hair shorter. As for his build, it was hard to tell with her distance from him, but if she had to guess it had to be similar to Henry's with Henry being on the leaner side. He even led a similar lifestyle.

It seemed this man checked off almost all of what she knew about her masked friend, but Catherine still couldn't help but feel disappointed. She didn't want this Lord St. Maur to be her masked partner.

"Was he invited for the negotiations?"

"Yes." Henry sounded gruff and unhappy.

"Do you know if he is married?" If he was Catherine knew she had found him.

"I'm not sure, I believe there is a wife but I have never met her." Catherine felt her heart plummet. She didn't want this man to be her masked gentleman. Not that she had an idea of who she wanted it to be, she just knew that it wasn't meant to be him.

The man clearly knew that she was watching him too. Every so often he would look back at her to make eye contact, she was also aware that Henry was aware of this man's behavior. Every time she made eye contact with St. Maur she could feel Henry stiffen.

"When does he depart?"

Henry took a little longer to answer this question, Catherine swore she heard under his breath, "Hopefully soon. "

"I think in the next few days" was Henry's eventual response. "Why the sudden interest?" Henry's tone made Catherine look at him questioningly. It almost sounded as if Henry was jealous. Obviously that couldn't be, he hadn't had interest in her for years. Sure he held her hand this morning and complemented her the other day, but he was probably just in a good mood. And why shouldn't he be? He had a couple of weeks with a whole batch of new women to pick from. On several occasions Catherine caught him eyeing all the women.

Still something in his tone made her look at Henry through a sideways glance.

"One of the rooms for visiting lords was thoroughly trashed, when I questioned the maids they couldn't give a name but said the lord that was occupying the room was from Provence and was only here for the duration of the negotiations. I just wanted to make sure that I had the correct person reprimanded." Catherine allowed the lie to fall easily from her lips. If she didn't stop this man, he might try to blackmail her, clearly knowing her identity, and Henry's summation of his character wasn't putting her worry to rest.

Henry seemed to accept her response but his eyes said like they knew she was lying. It bothered Catherine that after all these years of separation, Henry still had the ability to see right through her. She felt the guilt from lying start to creep up. She wanted desperately to tell Henry the truth, or at least the part where she needed this gentleman gone before it escalated, but that would mean mentioning her little kiss, and Catherine wasn't quite ready to give everything up.

* * *

Henry tried hard to hide his disappointment. Catherine lied to him about wanting information on this man.

"I see" was all he could muster out. Why was she so interested in St. Maur? He was nothing special, and he most definitely wouldn't treat Catherine right. Not that he was going to treat Catherine in any way. He wished desperately he could seek out his masked friend, she would be able to give him insight into Catherine's behavior. She had been spot on about everything else.

On the other hand, he could just have St. Maur kicked out of the castle. He was the king, he had the authority to do so. But then Catherine might get upset. She clearly had plans for this gentleman and if he interfered with them the whole castle wouldn't know peace for at least a week.

He could curse the masked woman, if he hadn't conversed with her he never would have believed that he and Catherine had a chance at reconciliation.

Henry sighed, loudly. So loudly in fact that Catherine turned to look at him with a reproachful glance. At least that got her to look his way.


	6. Chapter 6

The next day Catherine tried to discretely spy upon St. Maur. The man certainly flirted a lot. It seemed if anybody with a skirt walked by, he approached them. This did not seem to be the manner of the masked gentleman. If anything St. Maur seemed more in line with Henry.

Catherine sagged against the nearest wall in confusion. She was all mixed up. This man reminded her of Henry, which the masked man did as well, but this gentleman did not remind her of the masked gentleman. And it was only Henry's negative traits that reminded her of him, whereas with the masked man, it was the characteristics of Henry that she loved that she noticed. Why was this all so confusing? Was it just the disappointment of figuring out who it was?

She needed to know more of this St. Maur. If indeed he was the masked man, there was definitely a possibility that she could be blackmailed. He seemed like the type that would love to have power over someone in her position.

He glanced in her direction and gave her a knowing smile, the kind that made her skin crawl. She had to know the truth. There was no way that this man could have discovered her. There was no way that this imbecile outsmarted her.

Rising to leave the corridor, Catherine made her way to her study. She needed more information on this man. She certainly couldn't ask about St. Maur, Henry's surprising reaction to her little bit of questioning saw to that. And, now that she thought about it, what was the reason for Henry's reaction? Henry and she'd had several conversations that circled around one individual and he'd never reacted like that.

Perhaps Henry just didn't care for him, but why, they seemed to be cut from the same cloth. Of course maybe that was the reason, Henry just didn't like a rival. A frown graced Catherine's face, but who would pick St. Maur over Henry? Henry should have nothing to worry about, he was infinitely better looking, didn't exude the creepiness that radiated off of St. Maur, and he was much more charming in Catherine's completely unbiased opinion. There was also the fact that he was a king.

She could send any of her flying squadron, but they might only be able to pick up on gossip, and while rumors were always interesting, she needed facts about the man, facts that she definitely could get from Henry's study. In there, there would be documents pertaining to St. Maur's title, property, requests and petitions to Henry, and his marriage, or at least some of this information.

She'd just have to time getting into his office without him being there. Normally this wouldn't be a problem, but with the negotiations that recently took place, Henry often had to go over documents. She would just have to look fast and hope that some mistress of his would be able to keep him occupied.

* * *

It wasn't fair the way Catherine watched St. Maur. In fact in Henry's opinion it was downright scandalous. Not that her behavior itself was scandalous, it was just apparent to him that Catherine was watching this man quite intently.

She hadn't even put any of her flying squadron on him, which meant whatever she wanted St. Maur for she wanted him to herself. Why would she have any interest in this guy?

As Henry watched Catherine watch St. Maur, he truly couldn't figure it out. The man was a womanizer, he chased after anyone. He also didn't have the best character. Politically speaking, the man had nothing to offer France, his lands didn't produce the most revenue, his coffers weren't the fullest, and he barely contributed during the negotiations. Did Catherine know what she could potentially be getting herself into?

Henry felt his fist instinctively clench when he saw St. Maur send Catherine a lewd smile. The man really had no shame, sending his queen such a lascivious expression. At least Catherine didn't seem comfortable on the receiving end of his invitations. That would make punching St. Maur so much easier.

He watched Catherine promptly leave in the direction of her chambers, and then quickly brought his attention back to St. Maur, who also watched Catherine leave with a smug expression.

This man needed to leave. Now.

As the king Henry could just kick him out and give no explanation, but that would cause a scene. Maybe he would just continue to watch Catherine and try to figure out her motives.

It couldn't be an affair, could it? Catherine didn't seem to encourage the man, she actually appeared rather annoyed with him. It relieved Henry that romance didn't seem to be the driving force behind her curiosity, but if not romance then why on earth would she be interested in him.

He'd have to pay more attention to her actions, maybe then he could try to understand what motivated her. Plus now that the masked woman was gone, he'd need something to keep him occupied. He failed at discerning her identity, but he maybe could help Catherine.

* * *

She'd just received word that Henry would probably be holed up in a meeting for the next few hours. That would give her plenty of time to scour his study. It had taken a few more days to finally escape his presence.

It was funny really. She always craved his attention, wished that she had his eye. Except these past few days, which he seemed to always be hovering around. Somehow always on the periphery. Had this not been the direst of circumstances, maybe Catherine would have tried to understand why he was always around, and quick with a smile. But right now she needed to squash St. Maur.

Making her way to Henry's office, Catherine smiled at the posted guard.

"His majesty the King is in conference and not in my Queen." Catherine of course already knew all of this.

"I'm just dropping off some documents, and then discussing outfits with his valet for the upcoming meeting with the ambassador." This was not a lie, she did plan on conversing with his valet, just not right now, but it would excuse her duration in the office.

The guard easily let Catherine in. Looking around the room, Catherine didn't even know where to start. Perhaps she should start with a marital document? The fact that they were both in love with their respective spouses really pulled the masked gentleman and her together.

She immediately went to Henry's desk. She didn't believe that anything of value pertaining to St. Maur would be in there, but this would be a perfect opportunity to also know what Henry could have planned for France's future. Opening the top drawer, Catherine noticed a bunch of quill pens and blank parchment paper. Nothing of interest really caught her eye until she moved the parchment and a miniature of herself fell from beneath the sheets.

Odd, she thought as she picked up the small portrait. It was most definitely her. Why would Henry have a miniature of her tucked away in his desk? While she studied the picture she realized that it had to have been painted fairly recently, at least in the last few years. The painting did not resemble her teenage self but more her more mature adult self.

How did Henry get this? She could not for the life of her recall sitting for a portrait, she hadn't done one in years. In fact, the last portrait she sat for included her oldest four children.

Voices outside the door pulled Catherine back to the reason she was there. Setting the miniature back down in the drawer killed her, she wanted desperately to know why it was there, but she had a more pressing matter to deal with first.

Moving over to one of tall cabinets, Catherine started to rifle through land deeds.

After scouring documents for what felt like hours, it seemed St. Maur held no properties of value, and wasn't married. When Catherine realized he wasn't married she sagged against the wall and slid to the floor. Relief flooded her entire being. Her masked man most definitely was married and talked about true pain, she saw it in his eyes.

It was then she felt a tear run down her cheek. She had been so nervous that the masked gentleman had been St. Maur, and he would spill her secret, but now it looked like fate smiled upon her.

* * *

Henry was once again back in the garden. He'd had a fairly heated discussion with some of his military personnel and what was the best way to go about Italy after the treaty. He had hoped to see Catherine walk by, perhaps ask for her opinion, but he hadn't seen her.

She had actually made herself scarce all day. It was almost funny, normally she didn't cease with her opinions. Now that he wanted hers, she was nowhere to be found. He'd even asked one maid who walked by him about Catherine's whereabouts, but she didn't know, or at least wasn't going to tell him. So instead he'd settled for watching her doorway, while trying to muddle over his meeting. From where he was sitting he could see through a window the people who entered and left her apartments, so far no one of significance.

A few more servants walked by, but Henry was able to ignore them until a laundry maid walked by with a red fabric that slipped out from the white sheet that was covering it. Henry perked up and watched the maid. Even though it was just a small piece of fabric that he could see, it gave him plenty. The red was the exact shade of red that the masked lady's gown was. There was no mistaking the color. He had it burned in his memory, almost half expecting the masked lady to wear the gown again at court.

Rising he slowly followed the maid, who made her way through the garden, off to the laundry Henry presumed. He still could only see that one small patch of red, but it had to be same gown.

Then as if fate heard him wishing he could see more, a gardener spooked the maid, making her drop everything to the ground. Henry picked up his pace and quickly took hold of the red fabric and pulled it out from amongst the heap, the red gown.

He stood dumbfounded. This was the dress, the plain red dress worn by the masked lady. There was absolutely no embellishment on the gown at all. Just looking at the gown he could picture the woman wearing it, could still feel her dancing in his arms.

"Forgive me your majesty" the maid stuttered out, too embarrassed to even look in his direction.

Henry still couldn't acknowledge the girl, he was too caught up in the moment. This gown just might answer all of his questions.

"Whose gown is this?" he finally got out. This was the moment, he could feel it. His whole body was brimming with excitement. He had lost all hope once the Venetians left, but somehow this gown stayed. The moment almost felt biblical.

"It is her majesty's".

Once the words hit Henry's ears, he looked up at the maid. Was this a joke?

The maid, picking up on but not understanding Henry's tension continued, "I….I was just bringing her majesty's items to the laundry."

"You are sure that this is the Queen's gown?"

"Yes your majesty, the Queen's items never get mixed with anyone else's." The maid looked scared out of her wits, probably afraid that she had done something wrong.

Realizing the maid probably wanted the gown back, Henry dismissed her, telling the girl that he was keeping the dress.

How could this be Catherine's? He'd never seen her in this gown, not even one of her ladies had worn something this simple. It couldn't be Catherine's, she wasn't even at the masked ball.

Then like lightening it all hit Henry at once. It was Catherine's, and the reason the woman so reminded him of Catherine was because she was in fact Catherine. It was why the masked woman was in Catherine's favorite garden, and why Henry quite literally ran into Catherine chasing the masked woman down.

But how did he feel about this? He spilled his heart out to this woman, did Catherine know the whole time and was playing with him? Or would this revelation be the same kind of shock to her. And then she kissed him! Did she know that was her husband or did she willingly kiss a stranger! Clutching the gown as if it were the holiest of relics, Henry was off to find his wife.

* * *

After reassembling Henry's office, Catherine made her way to Henry's closet, while she was already in his unoccupied quarters she might as well pick out an outfit that would complement her own for the upcoming meeting. Normally she and Henry's valet would work together, but since he was not here and she knew her way around, she figured she would just go ahead and pick something.

Rummaging through his wardrobe, nothing really stood out to her, maybe she had time to have something specially made. Frustrated at his lacking wardrobe, Catherine smacked his hanging clothes. It was then something from above fell down and landed at her feet.

Catherine bent over to pick the item up. It was a hat, an unremarkable hat except for the singular red feather that stuck out from the side.

She dropped the hat in surprise, almost as if recognizing the hat burned her. This was the masked gentleman's hat, and it was in Henry's room, tucked away amongst his items! She picked the hat up again to inspect it again, perhaps she just misidentified it.

But she didn't, she recognized that hat, had searched for that hat. She looked back into the wardrobe, probably the rest of the costume was tucked away in there as well. That meant that whole time the masked man was Henry.

Letting that news sink in, Catherine realized she needed a seat, but was so out of focus she couldn't find one. The only thing in her vision was this hat, the hat that sat upon Henry's head while they talked about private issues.

Did he know? Did he have any idea that she was the woman behind the mask? Is that why he had said he loved her, because he knew? Or did he really unburden his soul unknowingly to his wife. The room started to spin, and the air became hot. This was becoming way too much for Catherine.

Except much to her surprise, as she turned toward the door, still holding the hat, the door opened, and in rushed Henry, with a determined look and a plain red dress in hand. And then it did become too much for Catherine and felt her whole world go black.

So sorry for the delay again, it was just I had so many different ideas and scenarios about how this could play out. Hopefully it's a cohesive chapter that you all enjoy!


	7. Chapter 7

Finding Catherine hadn't been as hard as he thought. All he had to do was yell at a few servants and discovered that she was in his apartments. After hearing that she had planned to help choose his outfit with his valet, Henry ran towards his bedchamber.

What he did not expect to find as he threw the door open was Catherine standing there, holding his hat in her hand, with a face a pale as a sheet, then she collapsed. Henry ran right over to her, his heart thumping in his chest.

"Guards, call for Nostradamus! The Queen has fainted!" Henry hollered. Henry slowly picked her up, he wasn't going to allow anyone else to touch her other than himself. Slowly he made his way to his bed, and carefully deposited Catherine onto the mattress. Trying to make her as comfortable as a woman who had passed out could be, Henry loosened her corset, hoping that she would be able to breathe easier.

Nostradamus checked out Catherine and declared the Queen would be fine, even though he couldn't find any reason for why she would have fainted. Henry was quite appreciative of Nostradamus' insights until he wanted Catherine moved to her chambers. Henry flat out refused, he wanted to keep an eye on Catherine, and have a serious conversation with her when she awoke.

Once everyone had left, save for himself, Henry walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. Reaching over he took one of Catherine's hands in his own, and despite Catherine being passed out, felt a peace settle over him.

Catherine loved him! She had said so herself. Her shock at him walking through with her gown while holding his hat seemed quite authentic. That would have to mean that she didn't know who he was at the masquerade. And no one knew of his second outfit. If she had set out to dupe him, wouldn't she have approached him earlier in the night?

He wished Catherine would wake up, Nostradamus had said soon, but Henry didn't want to wait. He wanted to know how they were going to fix their seriously damaged marriage.

* * *

When Catherine came to, she kept her eyes shut. She could tell that she had been moved, it felt like she was on a bed. Someone it seemed was also holding her hand. Deep down she knew it was Henry's entwined with her own, but she really wasn't ready to face him quite yet.

Remembering the last moments before she fainted, Catherine recalled the complete look of bewilderment upon Henry's face. It had seemed Henry was just as clueless to their masked identities as she was.

Was that for worse or better?

Probably for the better, this way it didn't seem like he was mocking her. Then again, who knows how kindly he would take to her looking for an affair, even if it was only a kiss. Many a queen had been toppled for less.

The hand let go of hers and she heard the person walking slowly away. Slowly opening her eyes, so as to not hopefully give away her awakened state just yet, she looked up and saw ceiling, Henry's ceiling. She slowly tilted her head down so she could see the foot of the bed. There Henry was, just looking at her, with the sincerest concerned expression.

"Catherine, you are awake" he sounded quite relieved, "how are you feeling?"

She didn't know how to respond. He had rarely played the doting husband, and given light of the recent events she wasn't sure how authentic he was being. Clearly they were both better actors than they gave themselves credit for.

"Better than before, though still anxious."

He rounded the bed and sat next to her. Catherine could feel her anxiety rising again. Henry still just kept looking her up and down, his eyes scanning her for something, all while still looking very perturbed.

"I believe, when you are up to it, we should probably have a chat."

* * *

Henry didn't know how to broach the subject, but knew they couldn't leave the matter unsettled. Catherine and himself had both unknowingly declared their love for one another to one another, they both regretted the state of their marriage, and both wanted to change it.

Catherine sat up completely straight looking grim, like he was about delivery dreadful tidings.

"We can talk now."

Henry wasn't quite sure where to start, a range of emotions and thoughts were running to him. He reached over and took hold of her hand again, finding that the simplest form of contact gave him a boost of confidence.

Suddenly a large smile graced his face, and laughter bubbled forth. Catherine stared back at him, confusion written all over her face. Happiness had just completely taken over him and he couldn't suppress it any longer with Catherine being well and able to converse.

"Henry are you alright?" she asked tentatively, not understanding where this mirth had just come from.

"You love me Catherine" he replied, "you love me and I love you and all this time we could have been together, ruling side by side, instead of fighting and purposely trying to hurt the other. "

"You say it almost as if that fixes everything," Catherine tried to avoid eye contact, like looking him in the eye as he declared their love was embarrassing to her.

"It doesn't fix anything really, but knowing it makes me feel like a weight has been lifted. It makes me look at you differently. Don't get me wrong, I've harbored these feelings for you since we were first wed, but I had come to believe that you hated me."

Saying all of this made Henry feel better as well. He also noticed that Catherine hadn't tried to fight or argue once, instead she just let him speak his peace.

Giving his hand a small squeeze Catherine quietly replied, "I could never hate you. Your actions yes, but not _you_. "

Silence reigned between the two of them, both still processing everything that had transpired.

"If you don't mind my asking Catherine, why did you don the mask?"

* * *

At this point Catherine figured she should keep to the truth. She had already told Henry, albeit unknowingly, her secrets, especially those concerning him. He had enough already to order her execution.

"Well after our fights I often find myself….frustrated, and you are allowed to flirt and carry on to get rid of some of that pent up energy. I am not afforded such luxuries, and I didn't see a way to release them, until the masked ball. I had planned it as a way to eschew my queenly obligations and just flirt and dance. Our fight right beforehand only sealed the deal in my mind. "

Henry let a chuckle escape, causing Catherine to look at him with a confused expression.

"It seems we both went to the masked ball with the same intentions. Our last fight sent me over the edge, I couldn't get you out of my head. I kept confusing images of your anger with passion, leaving me completely at your mercy. Except, I assumed that any hint of affection from me would have been spurned, so I had a second disguise made to woo the perfect imitation of what I truly wanted."

Catherine couldn't believe what she was hearing. Henry admitted to wanting her. Yes, he had said he'd wanted to repair things with his wife and loved her dearly, but he had admitted those feelings to what he thought was a stranger. This time he openly confessed his feelings to her. Catherine could feel a smile form on her face.

"You know, in the future, after we've had a fight, you could just come to my chambers directly."

"Oh _really_ " Henry said with a roguish expression that made Catherine feel lightheaded.

"That way we can address the problem more directly" Catherine said through a smirk.

"I am very much in favor of that decision."

Catherine felt Henry continue to let his gaze wander. She almost felt awkward under his gaze, it had been so long since he had looked at her that way. What did this mean for them though? She just basically gave Henry carte blanche to her chambers. Was that what she wanted? Of course it was, she always wanted Henry. It was her curse, and if the look he was giving her now meant anything it was he wanted to start as soon as possible. But was she ready?

Not quite yet.

"Henry, at that ball, what was it that drew you to me?"

* * *

Henry was ready to prove to Catherine just how much he did love her. In fact he was plotting the best course to her lips, when she asked him.

"Henry, at that ball, what was it that drew you to me?"

 _She reminded me of you._ That answer felt inadequate though, not truly capturing the spark he felt when he finally found the perfect woman to stand in for Catherine. Of course now it all made sense why she felt so right.

"I went looking for an imitation of you" Henry started, "It was your laugh that pulled me in, it sounded so much like your laugh when we were happy, and once my eyes found you, I was hooked. Then of course you called me husband to relieve yourself of those two dullards and held on to my arm, and my first thought was you. Did you know you do a great impersonation of yourself?"

Catherine smiled at his joke and it was too much for his heart to take. The woman of his dreams was currently sitting in his bed, professing her love to him, and he hadn't yet kissed her. He really ought to remedy that Henry thought.

So rather than continue to think about Catherine responding to his affection, he leaned forward and kissed her. Thankfully too, Catherine responded to his invasion with equal ardor. It was not a collision of two passions coming to a head type kiss, but rather a coalescence of tenderness that had been hidden away for far too long.

A sudden knock on the door, pulled the two apart suddenly, both with sheepish expressions. Nostradamus's figure appeared in the doorway. Henry rolled his eyes and sighed audibly. In response Catherine swatted at his hand. He just couldn't help it. Anyone's interruption would have annoyed him, least of all the man known for constantly whispering into Catherine's ear.

"I see your majesty has awakened."

"Yes Nostradamus, thank you." Catherine gave the man a beaming smile, one Henry hadn't seen in years, but endeavored to now see every day.

"How are you feeling? I couldn't quite figure out what made you faint." Henry wanted to dismiss the man and his infernal questions, but Catherine probably wouldn't respond well to that, so instead he continued to watch the exchange.

"I am feeling…" Catherine locked eyes with Henry as she trailed off, "good" she finished, eyes never leaving Henry's.

"If in case something should happen please send for me."

And with that, the "doctor" was off.

Finally.

Putting his attentions fully back on to Catherine, Henry leaned forward. Except this time Catherine stopped him.

"As wonderful as this has been, what exactly do you want to come of it?" Leave it to Catherine to come to her senses first.

"I believe we discussed it, I want reconciliation, and you want reconciliation. We both lamented at losing our marriage and confided as much to one another."

Catherine didn't quite look satisfied with that answer, like she didn't' quite believe it.

"You Catherine! I want us to have a real marriage. I want us to be united as one. I want you by my side, day and night. That is what I want to happen. "

* * *

Catherine had a lot to digest. Her husband, who was her masked gentleman, who she poured her heart out too, who had just kissed her senselessly with a tenderness she hadn't felt in years, wanted her. This was of course the same husband that up until about an hour ago, Catherine would have sworn hated her, would have jumped at the first opportunity to abandon her.

It was a good thing Nostradamus interrupted them. In the moment Catherine had been just as annoyed as Henry, as she thought about the best way to slip her hand under his shirt. Things would have escalated much quicker had he not decided to check up on her.

"I want those things as well. I want all the privileges afforded to married couples." She couldn't help but look down the large gap of Henry's shirt that formed when he had leaned forward. Obviously Henry noticed her gaze.

"Then we owe it to ourselves to try. Why deny something we both want."

"I want to, truly. I'm just afraid of what happens when it falls apart."

Henry looked at her with a scrutinizing expression. She had no idea what his response would be.

"I would almost hazard a guess that we know what happens should we fall apart. We've been down that road for many years. The antics that we have pulled have only hurt one another. And yet, my feelings toward you never cooled. I just allowed myself to believe that you hated me and your interactions with me were purely forced. "Henry leaned forward, so that he could really look into her eyes. It felt like he could read her soul. "I don't' think we can really fall apart, if you want my honest opinion. "

Catherine let Henry's words hit her. He was right, she knew already what it was like to have her marriage fall apart, and despite everything their passion for one another never fizzled out. This time around they wouldn't have the pressure of a new crown, or heirs, both were quite established in their titles.

Catherine leaned forward to close the gap between Henry and her, giving him light loving kisses.

Laughing, Henry pulled away for a quick second, "Of course we will need to address how you tried to pick me up at that masked ball. Just what were your intentions?"

Sensing Henry's teasing tone Catherine played along, "I went there to find some gentleman that would make me scream."

"Well mi'lady it seems you found the perfect gentleman."

Thank you everyone for the nicest/supportive reviews! They mean so much! Hopefully you all like this chapter as well!


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